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Topic: Which diesel for my Toyota! (Read 1629 times)

So my Toyota pickup currently has a Chevy small block 350 with a TH350 auto, but the other day the 350 developed a nasty rod knock. I want to replace the 350 and the auto with a diesel engine and a manual transmission. I know that the 350 will have more power than any of the diesel options that fit in the little truck, but I'm sick of 8 mpg and I'm a diesel guy! So I'm here for some opinions on what engine I should use.

1. TDI, preferably an ALH or AHU, although a BEW or BRM would be cool also. I would use the Toyota W56 or R150F transmission with this engine. I'm hesitant with the wiring.2. M-TDI, I like the idea of very little wiring here, but the cost of an M-TDI pump is a bit of a put off.3. 1.9 AAZ, with some basic mods will this have plenty of power to pull the pickup fine at highway speeds?4. 1.6 TD, the only reason I'm considering this is I already have an 1.6 NA block and a new 1.6 head, but can I build the 1.6 with a turbo to have enough power to easily move the truck and still be reliable?5. 4BT Cummins. Plenty of power, but will probably eat a Toyota transmission and transfer case. I'd probably have to use an NV4500 and a passenger drop NP205. Also a very expensive motor to buy.

The pickup is currently sitting on a 3" body lift, a 3" suspension lift, and 35" tires. I'd like to remove the body lift and put 33" tires on if I use a VW diesel. I have a decent knowledge of both the VW diesels and the Cummins engine.

1. ALH. The block is stronger than the AHU and they must have changed the metallurgy as they just don't seem to wear. 200,000 miles with no wear in the cylinders... BEW-BRM have cam issues and can't be run mechanically.

2. Cost of the mTDI pump? What? They are similar cost to the electronic pumps in similar condition. Sell your e-pump and buy a similar condition LR300 pump. Then sell all the other useless crap (ecu, harness, MAF, etc...) and come out ahead. Then spend the extra time you would have spent figuring out the harness just... just sitting back enjoying life. Spend the extra time you would have spent getting towed or in limp mode just driving. :-P

3. AAZ is ok. You can have similar overall power (lower torque but higher revs) but will have significantly worse fuel economy. They also run hotter and tend to wear out faster.

4. I wouldn't. 350 to 1.6TD might be a tough pill to swallow - all the downsides of the AAZ mentioned above, along with 20% lower torque/power.

5. I can't really say other than - holy crap those engines are heavy, low-revving, have a huge oil capacity.

Ok. ALH it is.

« Last Edit: March 01, 2018, 10:53:17 pm by libbydiesel »

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Where could I get a Land Rover pump in the US? I was under the impression you had to gather all the parts to build an MTDi pump yourself, or send it to Giles, which I would love to do since he builds awesome pumps. I've got a local injection pump shop that is awesome, they are an authorized bosch dealer, I wonder if I gave them the LR300 pump PN they could order one for me. I see that Quality German Auto Parts has a complete ready to go MTDI, but he wants 5k for it He is also where I considered ordering an AAZ from. His prices seem awfully high but I guess some do come with a 3 month warranty.

You can get used LR pumps off ebay.uk. There are online sites that will sell rebuilt or new ones and ship to the US. I haven't dealt with William Smith personally but he is in the UK and has an ad in the classifieds for selling used LR pumps.

I would not recommend getting an mTDI pump from Giles. Last I heard he was charging a couple grand plus three cores for an mTDI pump that would perform similarly to a stock eTDI. The stock LR pumps will outperform an eTDI and are available rebuilt or new for 1/2 that price with no cores required.

« Last Edit: March 02, 2018, 04:54:05 pm by libbydiesel »

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I'll be looking into that. I found a few LR300 pumps on Ebay UK. How hard is say, 150hp out of an mTDI? I'd like for the truck to still have plenty of get up and go. I know that not matter which of these I go to they are going to feel weak compared to the mild built 350, but what's better than diesel power, right?

Well my "rod knock" turned out to be a loose torque converter bolt, quite a relief. I still want to diesel swap a Toyota pickup, so now I'm on the lookout for one with a blown head gasket or other engine damage. I figure a single cab with stock size tires will be a better candidate for a four cylinder diesel anyways.

Even though the engine has plenty of power and runs sound, I plan to rebuild it before I drop it in a pickup. It smokes some blue/white on startup and has a slight haze even when warm. I'm not to concerned, I got it for 600 bucks and drove it 150 miles home without a single problem. Still trying to decide between mTDI and leaving it eTDI. When/if I rebuild it I will use upgraded components and be shooting for 200+ horsepower. I know that's a lot, but I want the truck to sit on at least 33" tires, and if I go with a 4runner it will weigh a bit more. Since the v8 in my other Toyota is now running fine I would feel kinda bad ripping a good running 300+ hp motor out to replace it with a small diesel. I have considered selling it to fund a really [email protected]$$ build but I've been adding a lot of cool features to it lately and have grown a bit of a bond with it lol. Plus, that truck has a 6" lift and 35" tires, less than optimal for a smaller engine. I may still end up putting it in that truck later, who knows. I feel like a 200hp TDI with a five speed would rip in any Toyota! Anyone who has experience with Toyota swaps feel free to chime in as I'd love some advice from someone who has done this before, same goes for anyone who has built an mTDI pump.

What do you want to know? Mine has an sas, not sure how easy it would be to make fit with the ifs. Im aiming for about 150-175hp with my aaz. If i was you i would go with a he221wg turbo, mtdi with a r150f tranny. Not too sure what gearing you woulf want in your diffs. Im going 5.29 but the idi has a completely different power band. There's tons of room in the engine bay though which is nice. Keep in mind if you go sas you would want a passenger side drop t case from a 3.0l.

I'm going to run an r150f with the 4cyl bellhousing. Id like to be around 2500 at 70, close to what the tdi runs stock. The truck will be an all around rig, hunting, DD, some light trail use. Im waiting to find a Toyota to put the tdi in, as I like my 350, but I'm still considering swapping it out for a built tdi.

From playing with a gear ratio calculator it looks like my truck has the stock 4.88s, which will be perfect. I've been discussing the swap with a buddy of mine who has built more Toyotas than he can count and he said the W56 will handle great behind even a modified TDi. He has seen one take years of abuse behind a 383 stroker. Im thinking I may go with a W56 since then I can also use a gear driven t-case rather than chain drive. They are far more plentiful it seems than the R150s are.